Massive blunder sinks Aizawl's 2 goal lead as Ranti Martins snatches victory with hat-trick

A RED CARD and a penalty ruined it for Aizawl FC in a chaotic turn of events after they spent three quarters of the game building up towards what could have been their biggest victory of the season yet. East Bengal took advantage of the situation to stage a sensational comeback thanks to a Ranti-Martins hat-trick, taking the game 2-3.

East Bengal came into this match reeling from 2 back to back defeats, with 2 of their star foreigners severely under-performing. In the early stages of the game they got a couple of chances - a long ranger from Sehnaj Singh that got saved by the keeper and a Ranti Martins volley that went just wide of the target - but things went wrong after Mehtab Hossain picked up a back injury and had to leave the pitch.

The left of the defense allowed an opening that Yuta Kinowaki used to send a ball in for Alfred Jaryan who passed it to Brandon Vanlalremdika for the finisher. Aizawl FC were leading 1-0 less than 20 minutes into the game.

Cavin Lobo replaced Mehtab, and Sehnaj Singh took down David Lalrinmuana in a rather nasty way to pick up a booking. The game went on, with Lalramchullova making some moves; he put a stop to a dangerous pass from Lobo, and did well to keep Shylo Malsawmtluanga out during a couple of East Bengal moves.

The second half began with a quick couple of yellow cards - given to Aizawl FC players Alfred Jaryan and Robert Lalthlamuana - setting the stage for a prominently physical contest. East Bengal coach Biswajit Bhattacharya also started played his card; bringing in Bikash Jairu to replace Shylo. 

Near the hour mark, things took a turn for absolute craziness. Bernard Mendy made a mess of it, allowing Yuta Kinowaki to sneak in an easy goal. Aizawl FC were now 2-0 up.

Sehjan Singh responded by rashly bringing down Alfred Jaryan. Sehnaj was already on a yellow and that foul definitely warranted a second one but for some reason the referee did not reach for his card. But he was not so kind to Lalramchullova and Lalrinmuana who got booked for lesser offense. And he promptly flashed a straight red card when Emmanuel Chigozie pushed Ranti Martins inside the Aizawl box. 

Now the hosts were down to 10 men and East Bengal had a penalty. Emmanuel's lack of foresight had endangered his team, and the match was about to turn on its head.

Martins scored the penalty. It was 2-1. And the visitors put immense pressure on the weakened Aizawl defense. A couple of attacks that ended up in clearances; but the tempo was only picking up.

Bikash Jairu ran up like a man possessed up the left flank and sent in a perfect cross that was destined to meet Ranti Martins's head. The ball didn't know where else to go, other than into the net. The game was level, with 85 minutes on the clock. Aizawl FC had lost the lead.

And before they could catch a breath it happened again. Mohammed Rafique sent in the cross this time, from the right. Ranti had a virtually open net to find. East Bengal had delivered the knock-out punch, with 2 minutes to spare.

Down 2-3, Aizawl FC players' lack of experience came to the fore as they lost composure under pressure. In the dying minutes Lalramchullova picked up a second yellow, which means he will miss the next game. The match ended with Aizawl blowing up their best opportunity to establish themselves as a competitive side this season, and emerge a step ahead in the race to avoid relegation. With 9 points from 11 matches, they are once again painfully close to falling to the bottom of the league table.

East Bengal, meanwhile, will be massively relieved with this win. 3 points, however clumsy, are welcome after 2 back to back losses. Whether or not this win has brought them back into the race only time will tell; but it sure has stopped them from being thrown out of it. 

This match has once again demonstrated how dangerous Ranti Martins can be once he is allowed some space by the opponent defense. Martins, who has scored 11 goals till now, is the highest scorer in this I-League; and he will be one of East Bengal's main weapons on 2nd April when they take on Mohun Bagan in the all-important Kolkata Derby.